Immigrant Boycott Will Seek to ‘Close’ Cities

Posted on Apr 27, 2006

A nationwide day of boycotts and marches planned for May 1 will flood the country’s streets with Latinos demanding amnesty and legalization for undocumented workers. “We’re going to close down Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Tucson, Phoenix, Fresno,” says a boycott organizer.

Reuters:

LOS ANGELES - Pro-immigration activists say a nationwide boycott and marches planned for May 1 will flood Americas’s streets with millions of Latinos to demand amnesty for illegal immigrants and shake the ground under Congress as it tackles reform.

But while such a massive turnout could make for the largest protests since the civil rights era of the 1960s, not all Latinos, nor their leaders, were comfortable with such militancy—fearing a backlash in Middle America.

“There will be 2 to 3 million people hitting the streets in Los Angeles alone. We’re going to close down Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Tucson, Phoenix, Fresno,” said Jorge Rodriguez, a union official who helped organize earlier rallies credited with rattling Congress as it debates the issue.